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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. present — a gift
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pit — a hole
  11. present — there
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bass — the fish
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com